Canon 6D for HS Football?

underemployed · Dec 28, 2013

I have a 40D and sometimes borrow a friends' 7D to do a lot of low light live music shooting and have a need for a full frame because of the odd angles I'm often presented with. I also actually make money shooting HS football games too. I love the low price of the 6D, but do you guys think it will be suitable for sports? Anyone use a 6D for Friday night football games and have some sample pics?

My lenses are 50 1.4, 24-70 2.8L and 70-200 2.8L IS

imagemaker46 · Dec 28, 2013

You already have a lens that you can use, 70-200 2.8, it is generally too short for football, 300mm or longer is a better choice. You can wait for the action to come to you. The body should be fine. When it comes to sports learn the game, and work on the timing, you should be ok.

underemployed · Dec 29, 2013

imagemaker46 said:
You already have a lens that you can use, 70-200 2.8, it is generally too short for football, 300mm or longer is a better choice. You can wait for the action to come to you. The body should be fine. When it comes to sports learn the game, and work on the timing, you should be ok.

so save for the sower FPS you don't think I'll have any trouble freezing the action with the 6D vs the 5D3? I'm fine on the timing and knowledge of the game as I'm a former player and coached for 8 years. I actually get pretty good shots with the 40D but have issues with the autofocus being slow and sometimes wandering.

FocusTester · Dec 30, 2013

I would not recommend the 6d for anything moving. It is just not very good at focusing on moving subjects, not even with fast glass (i.e., f/1.4-2.8), in my humble opinion as a 6d owner. You may want to consider renting the body and trying it on a test shoot before committing if you are still on the fence.

ronlane · Dec 30, 2013

The rumors keep going back and forth, but you should know the status of a possible 7D mk ii before Summer and in plenty of time to get one before the season starts for 2014.

underemployed · Dec 31, 2013

FocusTester said:
I would not recommend the 6d for anything moving. It is just not very good at focusing on moving subjects, not even with fast glass (i.e., f/1.4-2.8), in my humble opinion as a 6d owner. You may want to consider renting the body and trying it on a test shoot before committing if you are still on the fence.

A 6D owner's viewpoint was exactly what I was looking for, thanks! I had thought about renting a 6D and testing it out, but of course the season is over now.

underemployed · Dec 31, 2013

ronlane said:
The rumors keep going back and forth, but you should know the status of a possible 7D mk ii before Summer and in plenty of time to get one before the season starts for 2014.

Ya I've been reading all the rumors, and had thought about getting a 7D back in August. But I really want a full-frame but of course need the fast action ability. I think the 5D3 will be a nice combo of both. And who knows, maybe I'll get the 7D2 when/if it comes out! Just don't tell my wife please...... :sexywink:

Juga · Dec 31, 2013

I would agree the 6D isn't the best option for AF on moving subjects. The 5D3 would be your best bet and lately the price has been dropping pretty rapidly.

ronlane · Dec 31, 2013

underemployed said:
ronlane said:

The rumors keep going back and forth, but you should know the status of a possible 7D mk ii before Summer and in plenty of time to get one before the season starts for 2014.

Click to expand...

Ya I've been reading all the rumors, and had thought about getting a 7D back in August. But I really want a full-frame but of course need the fast action ability. I think the 5D3 will be a nice combo of both. And who knows, maybe I'll get the 7D2 when/if it comes out! Just don't tell my wife please......

You get the 5d3 and you probably won't want a 7d2 lol. I ain't telling nuttin.

imagemaker46 · Dec 31, 2013

I've shot football with a canon t2i and a 300 2.8 and haven't had any problems, still timing.

ronlane · Dec 31, 2013

imagemaker46 said:
I've shot football with a canon t2i and a 300 2.8 and haven't had any problems, still timing.

But would you want to do it all the time Scott?

imagemaker46 · Dec 31, 2013

No I wouldn't want to use it all the time, when I did, I was proving a point to a friend of mine that said you couldn't use an entry level digital camera to shoot sports. Shooting football is something that I am very good at, but then I have been shooting it for over 40 years and also understand everything about the game. So many people are being told on this forum that sports can't be shot with entry level digital cameras, or even a mid-range digital, and that is bs. There is a challenge when using a camera that doesn't follow focus very well and people get frustrated and disappointed when they don't end up with the photos they want. They feel defeated by the technology and give up, which is the wrong attitude.

Anything is possible in time, but in this day and age, people want everything fast, great photos don't happen fast. I always hope that people continue on with photography, regardless of what people say about what is and isn't possible.

ronlane · Dec 31, 2013

I knew that you shoot football and have for many years, and I knew that you say you wouldn't want to. As stated, in the hands of a skilled, experienced photographer, the equipment doesn't matter as much, it just makes it easier for them. I don't know what's possible or not with shooting sports as I have not tried to do so yet. I am going to shoot some kids basketball this January and February as my intro into sports. I'll then move into the outdoor sports in the spring with hopes to get into football in the fall.

All of this will be for me and not commercially (unless someone starts throwing money at me). I do feel that I have a good leg to stand on shooting football, as I played for over 13 years and tend to know where the plays are going pre-snap. We shall see.

Juga · Dec 31, 2013

I don't think anyone said that it couldn't be done but that the 6D just wasn't the best option.

Derrel · Dec 31, 2013

imagemaker46 said:
No I wouldn't want to use it all the time, when I did, I was proving a point to a friend of mine that said you couldn't use an entry level digital camera to shoot sports. Shooting football is something that I am very good at, but then I have been shooting it for over 40 years and also understand everything about the game. So many people are being told on this forum that sports can't be shot with entry level digital cameras, or even a mid-range digital, and that is bs. There is a challenge when using a camera that doesn't follow focus very well and people get frustrated and disappointed when they don't end up with the photos they want. They feel defeated by the technology and give up, which is the wrong attitude.

Anything is possible in time, but in this day and age, people want everything fast, great photos don't happen fast. I always hope that people continue on with photography, regardless of what people say about what is and isn't possible.

I'm not that "up on" lower-end Canon bodies...but the thing is, a 300mm f/2.8 Canon or Nikon with its own, custom-designed ultrasonic focusing motor is one of the best-focusing, best-performing lenses made. All of the modern AF super-teles focus fast, and they focus surely. I've used the old Nikon D70 with its crude, 5-point autofocus system with my 300/2.8, and it focuses FAST, and surely...even with a very low end, outdated body and AF system.

Back in 2005, I wanted to try the 300/2.8 on my D70, so I tried about 40 frames with it at this soccer game. I'm not really a sports shooter fanatic, but I was impressed with how fast a 300/2.8 is at focusing, compared against slower lenses or slower zooms. The D70 is a sloooow camera, 3 frames per second, so you have to pick the right time to hit the button. I only shot parts of TWO events with the D70; this afternoon soccer match in October, and this rainy day track meet. I was shooting the D2x that year for pretty much everything, but I did want to see how much was "the camera", and how much was "the lens" (300/2.8 AF-S II, the magnesium barreled lighteight model).

Only took one shot.

Only get one frame, of the plant of the pole..by the time the D70 is ready to fire a second frame, the vaulters are already over the bar..or not...

Not that these are great shots, but a 300/2.8 focuses so fast, and so surely, compared to a consumer zoom lens. I think that's the real issue...people often say such and such camera focuses slowly; well...maybe with an 18-200mm f/3.5~5.6 lens it does, but with a FAST pro-grade telephoto lens, "in" and "out" of focus are soooo different that phase detect AF systems get good,good data, and can focus VERY fast. The same is NOT true with short lenses, where the image is sort of in-focus all the time, and the AF system see-saws back and forth, back and forth.

I dunno; what lens makes a 6D focus slowly??? I have a sneaking feeling that with say, a 70-200 Canon or even their 200/2.8, OR with my fave Canon lens, the 135/2-L, that the 6D will lock focus on HS football like a demon. Maybe I am wrong, but I think it's likely that the right LENS will make the 6D capable enough for HS football. The jerseys have a great big, high-contrast AF target right on the front and back...